The girl's distraught parents applied considerable political pressure to continue the recovery efforts. By doing this they collided head-on with defenders of this Wild and Scenic River who wanted to make certain that the area would not be damaged during these attempts. In late June, following pressure from South Carolina Senators Strom Thurmond and Earnest Hollings, a portable dam was carried into the gorge by convict labor and erected to divert the water. This involved drilling a number of small holes into the riverbed. Dennis Kerrigan, a long time rescue instructor and extrication expert, was flown down from Maine to assist. The effort was not successful. Later, after confusing reports from the rescue team and the Forrest Service regarding the actual location of the body, a second attempt was successfully made with a larger portable dam. Reportedly, no new holes were needed.